Sebastian Telfair

There was his behind-the-back pass setting up yet another Blake Griffin dunk in the first quarter. But, better yet, there was a steal and an explosive drive to the basket with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter. The latter, of course, was a much bigger test for Clippers backup point guard Sebastian Telfair , who had been limited to one preseason game because of a sore right hamstring. Game No. 2 was against Maccabi Tel Aviv and he played 24 minutes and had 15 points and seven assists in the Clippers' 108-96 victory on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

The Lakers have some interest in free-agent point guard Sebastian Telfair, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Free-agent PG Sebastian Telfair drawing interest from Celtics, Lakers and Spurs, league sources say. - Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) September 3, 2013 The Lakers have three point guards under contract for the coming season in Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. Is there room for a fourth? Last season the Lakers carried four point guards with Darius Morris, Chris Duhon, Nash and Blake, but Duhon was arguably acquired as filler in the Dwight Howard trade with the Orlando Magic.

Not quite prime time, but it was as close as it possibly can get for the Clippers. Which is why watching Sunday's preseason game against the Lakers was particularly tough for the Clippers' Sebastian Telfair . There was a big crowd on hand and it had a quasi big-game feel at Staples Center for the point guard stranded on deck. "It's extremely frustrating, especially a night like tonight," Telfair said after the Clippers lost by six points to the Lakers. "It's the closest thing you're going to get to the real season right there.

Bobby Brown could hear his mother in the background when he called to tell his family the news. "Oh my God!" Regina Brown said excitedly. "My baby's coming home!" Nearly three years after leaving Los Angeles to embark on a professional basketball career that has made stops in Berlin and three NBA cities, the point guard is returning to Southern California with the Clippers. The former Westchester High and Cal State Fullerton standout hopes he's home for good. "My dad's happy, my girlfriend," Brown said today, a day after the Clippers acquired him from the New Orleans Hornets for a conditional draft choice.

Portland Trail Blazer rookie Sebastian Telfair said Thursday that he was offered money during recruiting by someone claiming to represent Georgia Tech but wonders now if it was a hoax. Telfair issued a statement that elaborated on the allegations made in a book that a Georgia Tech supporter offered the point guard $250,000. Yellow Jacket Coach Paul Hewitt and Telfair denied the claims Wednesday. On Thursday, Telfair put a slightly different spin on the allegation.

You might say the Clippers were wounded both physically and mentally. There was Marcus Camby , who tweaked his left ankle in the first quarter and had to come out of the game in visible discomfort less than two minutes into Friday night's game at Utah. "I don't even remember what happened," said Camby, who went on to finish with six points and 13 rebounds in the 111-98 loss to the Jazz. "I remember rolling it. It was a big game. I had to get right back at it. I didn't want to sit out and let it get stiffened up. I'll be all right for tomorrow."

It seems as if there are as many theories as there have been Clippers games this season that have been decided in the fourth quarter. For seven consecutive games, the winner of the last quarter has won the game. The Clippers (9-12) have won four of those seven contests, leaving Coach Mike Dunleavy and his players with different takes on what has led to that dichotomy. "It's been about making shots," Dunleavy said. "We have to have that energy and that focus in the fourth quarter," starting point guard Baron Davis said.

Blake Griffin's basketball torture -- jokingly called "detention" by one of his Clippers teammates -- came to an official end on Thursday. Limitations were lifted and the power forward was free to roam and rebound at will during a high-energy scrimmage at the Clippers' training facility in Playa Vista. Of course, the so-called detention was for his own protection. And it wasn't because he'd done anything wrong. The Clippers rookie had been one tremendously frustrated No. 1 overall draft pick since he hurt his left knee a few days before training camp opened late last month.

The list includes Blake Griffin , Brian Skinner and Marcus Camby . All victims of Clippers teammate Craig "Rhino" Smith , and all injured during training camp. Now, perhaps, is the time to add an opponent to the list. Smith, jokingly, had a former teammate in mind with tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. None other than Big Al. As in Al Jefferson . "I told him I'm going to take him down," Smith said, laughing, at practice Sunday.

Rasual Butler may have been happier about Blake Griffin's first points as a Clipper than, well, Blake Griffin. Butler was kicking back in the locker room after a preseason victory over Portland last week, and the general consensus was that a clip of the No. 1 overall draft pick's scoring had to be on ESPN since Griffin's firsts have been recorded at every turn. If not EPSN, then YouTube. Meaning plenty of Butler. After all, it was Butler's behind-the-back pass that set up Griffin's dunk in the first quarter.

What can Brown do for you? The Clippers could find out as soon as tonight after acquiring point guard Bobby Brown on Tuesday from the New Orleans Hornets for a conditional second-round draft pick, a move they hope will bolster their depleted backcourt. The Clippers pounced on the opportunity to add the former Westchester High and Cal State Fullerton player after recent injuries to guards Sebastian Telfair and Eric Gordon forced them to sign JamesOn Curry from the Development League.

A White House visit with the Clippers seems pretty far removed from long bus rides and cheap motels. JamesOn Curry doesn't need to win a championship to live his dream; merely walking onto an NBA court is enough of a pinch-me moment for the guard who has spent his professional career shuttling around the Development League. Calling himself "very blessed and very thankful" for the opportunity after signing a 10-day contract, Curry worked out with the Clippers on Saturday and held his own in a post-practice shooting drill with Baron Davis . He could make his NBA debut today against the Washington Wizards.

Attempting to fill a sudden, and big, void in the backcourt, the Clippers went to Springfield (Mass.) of the D-League, signing guard JamesOn Curry on Friday to a 10-day contract. To accommodate that roster move, the Clippers waived the injured Kareem Rush , who suffered a season-ending torn knee ligament on Nov. 17 and required surgery. They needed to make a quick decision -- coming after the first game of a seven-game trip -- because of injuries to shooting guard Eric Gordon (sprained big toe on his left foot)

At one point early in the second quarter Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs were making 80% of their shots. They were even hotter on the Clippers' end of the court, where guard Keith Bogans inadvertently tipped in a miss by counterpart Ricky Davis. It was a rare moment of levity for the Clippers during a 115-90 loss at Staples Center in which their defense provided the laugh track for most of the evening. The Clippers were especially generous hosts in the first quarter, when they surrendered 39 points and allowed San Antonio to shoot 78.9%.

It seems as if there are as many theories as there have been Clippers games this season that have been decided in the fourth quarter. For seven consecutive games, the winner of the last quarter has won the game. The Clippers (9-12) have won four of those seven contests, leaving Coach Mike Dunleavy and his players with different takes on what has led to that dichotomy. "It's been about making shots," Dunleavy said. "We have to have that energy and that focus in the fourth quarter," starting point guard Baron Davis said.

Welcome to "As the Clippers Turn." Has there been a more, well, interesting 6-9 team? Undoubtedly, yes. But the Clippers are inching toward respectability, and .500, in a most novel way. In the span of four days, they beat a Western Conference powerhouse (Denver) and survived a genuine fright against weak-link Minnesota, which has lost 13 consecutive games. The latter, a 91-87 victory against the Timberwolves on Monday night at Staples Center, came with a certain point guard sitting on the bench for most of the third quarter and a decent portion of the fourth.

At one point early in the second quarter Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs were making 80% of their shots. They were even hotter on the Clippers' end of the court, where guard Keith Bogans inadvertently tipped in a miss by counterpart Ricky Davis. It was a rare moment of levity for the Clippers during a 115-90 loss at Staples Center in which their defense provided the laugh track for most of the evening. The Clippers were especially generous hosts in the first quarter, when they surrendered 39 points and allowed San Antonio to shoot 78.9%.

Welcome to "As the Clippers Turn." Has there been a more, well, interesting 6-9 team? Undoubtedly, yes. But the Clippers are inching toward respectability, and .500, in a most novel way. In the span of four days, they beat a Western Conference powerhouse (Denver) and survived a genuine fright against weak-link Minnesota, which has lost 13 consecutive games. The latter, a 91-87 victory against the Timberwolves on Monday night at Staples Center, came with a certain point guard sitting on the bench for most of the third quarter and a decent portion of the fourth.

The list includes Blake Griffin , Brian Skinner and Marcus Camby . All victims of Clippers teammate Craig "Rhino" Smith , and all injured during training camp. Now, perhaps, is the time to add an opponent to the list. Smith, jokingly, had a former teammate in mind with tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. None other than Big Al. As in Al Jefferson . "I told him I'm going to take him down," Smith said, laughing, at practice Sunday.